Simplifying collaboration using the latest Slack app

Modified on: Wed, 6 May, 2020 at 9:08 PM

We will be replacing the older version of Freshdesk with the new Mint experience on January 31, 2019. All your data and configurations will remain intact. Switching back to the old Freshdesk will not be possible. To read about this feature on Freshdesk Mint, refer to this article instead

This feature is currently not available on Freshdesk Mint.

This feature is not available on the old Freshdesk.

Applicable plans

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Integrating Slack and Freshdesk not only enables agents to be aware of the tickets assigned to their group without leaving their Slack workspace but also collaborate with other members on Slack who can help with resolving the issue quickly. With the latest version of the Slack app, agents can now:

Create tickets from messages, shortcuts (⚡️) and also the global search bar

Receive notifications on new tickets and ticket updates in the respective Slack channels

Invite other teammates to a ticket notification thread to discuss and collaborate. Conversations in the notification thread get synced back to Freshdesk so context is preserved for future reference

View a list of your most recent open and pending tickets assigned to them on your home tab

Note: To install the Freshdesk app in your Slack workspace, the user must have administrative privileges in Freshdesk and should be on a Freshdesk plan that provides API access. The app should first be installed on Slack by the Freshdesk admin, followed by the Freshdesk agents.

Login to your Slack workspace

Go to the app directory by clicking on Apps on the left pane

Search for the “Freshdesk” app and click on Add

From the page that opens, click on Add to Slack to initiate the installation of the app

Click on Allow under the request for permission to enable the integration

Then go to Settings from your app home page and click on Proceed to link your Freshdesk domain to Slack

After successful installation, you can click on Settings from the app homepage to connect the Freshdesk groups to respective Slack Channels

From here, you can map Freshdesk groups to respective channels by clicking on Connect, in order to post ticket notifications to the relevant channels. Both public and private channels can be mapped to the corresponding Freshdesk group. However, you will only be able to map the private channels that you are a part of

Note: You cannot map multiple Slack channels to one Freshdesk group

You can selectively choose to push tickets of a certain priority to Slack instead of sending all the tickets from a group

Steps to follow for agents :

Once the app has been installed by the admin, other agents can connect their respective Freshdesk accounts to Slack by doing the following:

Go to Apps and click on the Freshdesk app

The registered Freshdesk domain will be visible on the homepage for agents

Note: Slack members without admin access on Freshdesk will not be able to configure the group-channel mapping

A quick guide to collaborating on Freshdesk tickets within Slack

Once a Slack channel has been mapped to a Freshdesk group, it will start receiving notifications when the tickets are assigned to a group on Freshdesk. Members can then refer to the details and work on the ticket right within that channel

Freshdesk agents who are part of the Slack channel will be able to collaborate with other Slack members who don’t need to be agents on Freshdesk

To start collaborating with a team member on Slack, the agent has to click on the Collaborate button displayed below the ticket details

Note: Only Freshdesk agents can invite other Slack members to collaborate on the tickets

Replies to the ticket thread in the Slack channel will be added as a private note on Freshdesk. This private note will also consist of the Slack channel URL using which you can navigate to the relevant thread on Slack

Likewise, a reply to the ticket or a private note added within Freshdesk will send a notification message to the relevant Slack channel. This notification will consist of the ticket reply and the ticket URL

Ticket notes and replies from Freshdesk to Slack are restricted to 250 characters for now

Updating a ticket

A Freshdesk agent will be able to perform quick actions on the ticket fields, right within the relevant Slack channel

To perform quick actions, the agent has to click on the Update button. Once the update ticket window opens, the agents can perform quick actions such as editing agent, group, status, and priority ticket fields in one go.

You can paste a Freshdesk ticket URL in the channel or the thread message pane to quickly post a ticket. The ticket will get unfurled with all the ticket information and options to edit the ticket.

Note: A member who is not a Freshdesk agent will not be able to update the ticket

Any update to the ticket will be sent as a notification to the relevant Slack channel

Note: It can take up to 5 minutes for the ticket updates to reflect in the respective channel

Creating a ticket

Both a Freshdesk agent and a Slack member who is not an agent on Freshdesk, can create tickets directly from the Slack interface

To convert a message on a Slack channel into a Freshdesk ticket, hover over the message and click on the icon that appears. Click on Create ticket from the drop-down. You will notice that the description of the ticket will be the Slack message that you are trying to convert

You can create a ticket from scratch in two ways:

Click on the Shortcuts icon in the message input field and click on Create ticket

Use the universal search bar to search for the create ticket action

When an agent creates a ticket, all the mandatory fields are shown to the agent. However, when a requester creates a ticket, only subject and description fields are shown.

A quick guide to managing tickets on Slack

A Freshdesk agent can access and manage all his/her tickets in open/pending status right from the Slack interface.

To do that, the agent has to go to Apps > Freshdesk > Home on Slack

On the homepage, the agent will be able to see all the open/pending tickets under his/her name on Freshdesk

From here the agents will be able to add collaborators, reply to tickets, add public/private notes to the ticket and also update the ticket fields.

A quick guide to updating/deleting group-channel mapping

Navigate to the homepage of the Freshdesk app and click on Settings

New group-channel mapping can be provided using the Connect button

You can delete existing mappings by clicking on the Disconnect button displayed next to the channel mapping that you are looking to delete

Only Slack members who are admins on Freshdesk can setup/update/delete the group-channel mapping

How to Uninstall the app :

The app will be uninstalled from the workspace if any one of the users uninstall/remove the app from slack. To uninstall the app from the Slack workspace, follow the below steps:

Navigate to the home tab and move to the About section.

Click on the Settings button

Find and click on the Remove application option present at the bottom.

Note: Anyone can remove the app from the Slack workspace provided that they are not restricted by the Slack admin

FAQs

Can I set filters to automatically send only specific tickets into Slack?

A: You can only filter based on priority of the ticket while you are mapping a Freshdesk group to a channel inside Slack.

Can I customize what a Freshdesk agent can do with a ticket on Slack?

A: Yes. For example, if you have disabled edit ticket properties access while assigning the roles and scope on Freshdesk for agents, your agents who are members on Slack will not be able to update the ticket properties

Is there a restriction to the number of team members with whom I can collaborate on Slack?

A: No, there is no limit to how many Slack members you can collaborate with on a ticket.

Can I link two or more related tickets right within Slack?

A: No, it is not possible to link tickets at the moment

What happens when a member on Slack who has collaborated on Freshdesk tickets, is deactivated?

A: The contribution of the deactivated member to the conversation will still be available under his/her name

What happens when a Slack channel mapped to a Freshdesk group gets archived?

A: You would still receive tickets to the archived channel if the channel is mapped to a Freshdesk group that actively gets tickets on Freshdesk. To stop receiving tickets on archived channels, you need to disconnect the mapping using the Freshdesk app settings within Slack

Which Freshdesk plan should I be on to be able to use the Slack app?

A: You can use the app on all plans providing API access

Will inline images and attachments also get synced?

A: Inline images and attachments are currently sent as links as part of ticket replies and private notes

Why should customers choose the new app over the old app?

A: While the existing app can send you notifications for custom events, the newer app allows agents to perform quick ticket actions, sync team conversations back and forth, and even show them a dashboard of their tickets, giving them a lot more control from Slack.

If the use case is to just push notifications based on specific custom events, then we’d recommend the existing app till parity. However, if users would like to have a lot more control inside Slack, then having the newer app lets them perform quick ticket actions, sync team conversations back and forth, and even show their agents a dashboard of their tickets.

Can the old and the new app exist simultaneously?

A: Yes. The two apps can exist in the same workspace but then, you’ll receive two different types of notifications for the same ticket. One on which you can perform actions and the other is just a notification. So, please recommend against it.

What’ll happen to the old app?

A: We will continue to support the app for existing users for some time; we do not have an ETA at the moment. Users will be able to make changes to their configurations as well. However, all new users will be able to discover and install the new app only. All new features will be added to the new app. We’ll work on the deprecation plan and make sure to notify all existing users well in advance.